Mai Masri

Jury Member

One of the pillars of Palestinian and Arab cinema, director and producer Mai Masri grew up in Lebanon, and studied film at San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley, USA. Masri has produced powerful documentaries that focus on women and children in a humanistic and poetic approach, including Children of Fire (1990), Hanan Ashrawi: A Woman of Her Time (1995), Children of Shatila (1998), Frontiers of Dreams and Fears (2001), Beirut Diaries (2006), and 33 Days (2007). Her films were screened in over 100 countries, receiving international praise and over 90 awards. In 1995, she founded Nour Productions with her late husband, filmmaker Jean Chamoun, and they wrote, directed and produced several films, including Wild Flowers (1986), War Generation – Beirut (1988), and Suspended Dreams (1992). She wrote and directed her acclaimed narrative feature debut 3000 Nights (2015), which had its world premiere at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, and received over 28 awards.

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